The present invention relates to a bifunction condiment grinding tool, and more particularly, to a bifunction grinding tool, which has two compartments, and can be used for grinding one kind of condiment with in an upright position, and for grinding the other kind condiment with in an upside down position.
Referring to FIG. 9, a conventional condiment grinding tool includes a main body 10, an upper turnable member 30, and a grinding assembly 20 consisting of an inner grinding element 201 and an outer grinding element 202. The turnable member 30 is turnably fitted on top of the main body, and is connected to an upper end portion of a shaft 203. The outer element 202 is fixedly received in the main body 10. The inner element 201 is turnably received in the outer element 202, and is connected to a lower end of the shaft 203. Thus, the inner element 201 is turned relative to the outer element 202 to grind the condiment disposed between the grinding elements 201 and 202 when a user holds the main body 10 with one hand and turns the turnable member 30 with the other hand. In addition, a knob 204 is screwed onto the upper end of the shaft 203 such that the user can adjust the fineness of the ground condiment by changing the position of the inner element 201 relative to the outer element 202 with the knob 204.
However, such a grinding tool can only contain a kind of condiment, therefore the user has to prepare many such tools for the many kinds of condiments in the kitchen. Consequently, the grinding tools would occupy much space and cause the user inconvenience.
Therefore, it is a main object of the present invention to provide a bifunction condiment grinding tool so as to reduce the number of grinding tools needed; the bifunction grinding tool contains two different kinds of condiments in two compartments such that the two kinds of the condiments can be ground individually when the grinding tool is manipulated in an upright position and in an upside down position respectively.
The bifunction condiment grinding tool of the present invention includes an interposed member, a first and a second housings, a first and a second one-way members, a shaft, a first and a second grinding assemblies. The interposed member has a central hole. The housings are each turnably connected to one end of the interposed member, and each has a first receiving hole adjacent to the interposed member and a second receiving hole at the other end. The housings contain a first and a second condiments respectively.
The one-way members are disposed in the first and the second housings respectively, and each has a main body secured to one of the first receiving holes.
The grinding assemblies each consists of an inner grinding element connected to one of two ends of the shaft, and an outer grinding element secured to one of the second receiving holes of the housings as well as mounted on the inner grinding element.
The shaft is passed through the one-way members and the central hole of the interposed member. In the upright position where the first housing is above the second housing, the one-way member of the first housing can cause the shaft to turn together therewith only when the same is turned in a first direction; while in the upside down position where the second housing is above the first housing, the one-way member of the second housing can cause the shaft to turn together therewith only when the same is turned in a second direction opposite the first direction. When the shaft turns in the first direction under the upright position, the same disengages the one-way member of the second housing so as to allow the second housing to be held still, permitting the inner grinding element in the second housing to turn relative to the corresponding outer grinding element. Similarly, when the shaft turns in the second direction under the upside down position, the same disengages the one-way member of the first housing (currently in the lower position) so as to allow the first housing to be held still, permitting the inner grinding element in the first housing to turn relative the corresponding outer grinding element.
Thus, the second condiment is ground by the second grinding assembly when the first housing is turned in the first direction relative to the second housing with the grinding tool being kept in an upright position where the first housing is kept above the second housing. And, when the grinding tool is held upside down from the first housing, and the second housing is turned in the second direction relative to the first housing, the first condiment is ground between the grinding elements of the first grinding assembly.